Moto lights on EBAY

[TheAxeman]

Just wondering if it was anybody on the board here that sold or bought a set of Moto Lights on EBAY today? I was considering getting a pair and was curious as to how well they worked and what the reason for the sale was.....Anybody?

Moto Lights on EBAY

 

[Bustanut joker]

Axeman,

Good to be seen not much for seeing imo. I've got a set that came with my bike when I bought it.

I don't know if raising them up would do much good. The hardware supplied with them only allows for mounting in the lower caliper mount hole. I did some dremell work and managed to move them to the upper hole but I don't belive it improved the lighting much. The beam doesn't travel out to far tends to spread out.

I see where you can buy the bulbs at home depot and a few other places that have a different style reflector that may in fact extend the light outwards. I'll pick up a pair this weekend and have the kids shovel a path down the drive so I can do some checking to see if this helps but... :cold: Ah maybe a coupl'a weeks I think there best suited as high priced fog lights.

I'd go with the hid's that are the shit right now especialy when you consider the price of the motos, better then half of the hid's if I recall correctly.

:jester:

 

[sgoat]

Or check out Garauld's offering for the Hella FF-50's w/mounts in the vender section. No, there not the top drawer HID's, but they do work very well for most of us. About 100 bucks in the door.

P.S. Axeman, Don't you already have the FF-50's from Garauld?

 

[TheAxeman]

Yeah, I already have the FF-50's on highbeam only which I will eventually change to the SOLTEKS once Ian gets the plan for the brackets smoothed out. I wanted to add the motolights for daytime conspicuity but I don't know if its worth using up more of my precious limited power. From what Bustanut says, it seems that is about all they are good for anyway.

 

[AGirl]

FWIW, I'm a huge fan of MotoLights (my 07 will have a set) :clapping: ... great product w/superior customer service. I've put on countless miles running fork mounted ML (caliper mounted equals removal of lights w/every tire change, something to consider if you're a high mileage rider). I personally wouldn't run a bike w/o them (that's not to say I wouldn't run other lights if needed though).

Hope whatever you decide works out for you.

AGirl

 

[squeezer]

I don't know if raising them up would do much good. The hardware supplied with them only allows for mounting in the lower caliper mount hole.

Just for the record: Mine mounted easily in the upper caliper bolts on my '03, and photos on the company's web site also show them mounted to the upper caliper bolts, so I assumed that's what they were designed for in the first place. The fork reflectors have to go, but I didn't have an issue with that. Then again, I'm sure you're right that those few inches don't really matter anyway.

I can't comment on how well they work because I just installed them -- in fact, still installing the wiring since I hacked up their harness to use a different switch I've installed in panel A. I can comment on the conspicuity, though. I first became aware of Motolights on a group ride several years ago. I was second in line. The guy riding sweep was about 8 bikes back and had Motolights. The way he jumped out in my mirrors blew me away. I decided then that I had to get some of those things.

I think it's true that as a general rule, anything mounted up around the mirrors is going to give you more vision while lights mounted low will give you more conspicuity. And the HID's are going to blow away anything else on the vision scale.

 

[TheAxeman]

I've put on countless miles running fork mounted ML (caliper mounted equals removal of lights w/every tire change, something to consider if you're a high mileage rider). AGirl

Now there is something I didn't think about. Thanks for the input AGirl and good luck with the new bike! :yahoo: Make sure you post some pics of it once you have it farkelized (is that a word?).

 

[AGirl]

Now there is something I didn't think about. Thanks for the input AGirl and good luck with the new bike! :yahoo: Make sure you post some pics of it once you have it farkelized (is that a word?).

Thanks, Axeman. As for the fork-mounted thing.... you would have figured that part out after, oh, say, a tire change or two. :grin:

AGirl

 

[Bustanut joker]

FWIW, I'm a huge fan of MotoLights (my 07 will have a set) :clapping: ... great product w/superior customer service.

Their service was really good but... I was charged five bucks for shipping on the bulb :clapping: - two burn outs in two years, and I can buy the same bulb at the electric supply house down the road for.....

$5.37 otd! :huh:

It isn't dark enough here (yet) to test the difference in the bulb I picked up earlier today, but I'll post something in an hour or so regarding the results.

:jester:

 

[sgoat]

I'm sure they're great lights and all, but it seems like a pretty high price to pay for conspicuity when you already have two, front facing halogen lights on while riding. I'm more afraid of being rear-ended (don't say a word you perverts) by someone not paying attention. A good friend of mine was hit from behind by a gal talking on a cell phone last summer. Totaled his new V-Strom. He's just now feeling well enough to ride the replacement Strom. Again, not a chop at moto-lights and those who use and like them.

 

[Bustanut joker]

Well no result posts tonight, Can't find the f#**''n camera plus I ain't willin to leave this single malt alone right yet :blink: .I'll get to it tomorrow night.

:jester:

 

[squeezer]

Well no result posts tonight, Can't find the f#**''n camera plus I ain't willin to leave this single malt alone right yet :blink: .I'll get to it tomorrow night. :jester:

Can't argue with those priorities.

 

[luvtoride]

If you really wanted to couldn't these moto lights be mounted to one of the brackets that connect to the mirror stalk? It seems to me that it wouldn't take much mods for this to work where all others are putting their aux. lighting.

I'd be more apt to try that then caliper mounting.

 

[Bustanut joker]

I don't belive it would be possible as the light housing is designed to only accept their brackets. Weird hollowed out deal with pinch bolt to hold into place. I can't really explain it, you'd have to go to motolights home page to really see it.

Plus it think they'd look outa place up that high. jmo

:jester:

 

[luvtoride]

I've never really taken a good look at them to see if this'd work, anyway. That's where I'd be trying to put them if I had them, though. Just a suggestion, anyhow.

 

[TheAxeman]

I already have the Hella FF-50's mounted off the mirrors for night use but wanted the motolights for daytime use on low beam so it seems like the fork mount like AGIRL pointed out would work pretty good. I was riding with a guy that had a Wing with a set of PIAA's mounted low and they really do help with daytime visibility. As SGOAT pointed out, being rear-ended is probably a greater risk so for that I put on a set of hyperlights.....anything to be more noticed short of a high viz Aerostich (i.e.: GRUMPY :blum: ) is good with me.

 

[AGirl]

FWIW, I've never been charged for shipping on bulbs... and if I had only 2 bulbs go out in 2 yrs I'd be quite happy (2yrs = 100k miles for me though. YMMV).

I'm not debating the advantages of one brand over another (opinions vary widely and are personal preferences--use whatever you like), I'm merely responding to the original posting and my factual experiences w/MotoLights. I definitely use them for seeing AND being seen. Another aspect to the fork mounted ML (or I guess any fork mounted light for that matter) is that I can adjust them horizontally (in/out) as well as vertically thus allowing me to adjust the "deer side" (right) light a bit more towards the outside where Bambi and other critters pose the greatest threat.

+1 on the Hyperlites as well. I wouldn't own a bike w/o a set of these either.

AGirl

 

[squeezer]

(snip)I definitely use them for seeing AND being seen. (snip)

AGirl, so you use the 35 watt bulbs or did you go up to the 55?

+1 on the Hyperlites as well. I wouldn't own a bike w/o a set of these either.

+2, although I actually use a clone product called Life Brites. The same set are now on their second bike and I've had zero issues with them.

 

[AGirl]

AGirl, so you use the 35 watt bulbs or did you go up to the 55?

Sorry for the delayed reply...

Since I have no experience w/the lighting of the FJR (I pick the bike up in less than a week) I don't yet know which bulbs I prefer. I'll see how things go running the 35w first since that is what I shipped ahead to the bike. Who knows, maybe 55w on deer side and 35w left side.

AGirl